Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to S S Stefani.
Wilms tumor rarely occurs during adult life. We have found 197 such cases reported in the world literature. However, there are some controversies whether all of these are true Wilms tumors or rather a variety of adenocarcinomas or sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma. We report here 2 additional cases of well-documented Wilms tumors in adults.
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By the method of viable lymphocyte counts, ethanol was found (1) to have a cytocidal effect on normal and leukemic lymphocytes; (2) to be more toxic to leukemic than to normal lymphocytes; (3) to be synergistic with hyperthermia, and (4) to decrease the critical temperature of normal lymphocytes from 43 to 41.5 degree C.
Sera of patients with prostatic malignancy were assayed for human chorionic gonadotropin-beta (HCG-beta). The levels of HCB-beta are negligible in the patients and in a control group with benign prostatic hypertrophy. Slight increases in HCG-beta found in a small percentage of patients with advanced malignancy are attributed to cross-reacting gonadotropins.
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We measured the effects of X-irradiation plus incubation at elevated temperatures on peripheral blood lymphocytes from normal persons and from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Counts of viable lymphocytes were based on morphological characteristics by phase microscopy. Dose-effect curves for X-irradiation were biphasic. The D0S for lymphocytes incubated at 39 and 41 degrees were significantly less than the D0 for 37 degrees. For both normal and leukaemia lymphocytes, X-irradiation was synergistic with hyperthermia at 39 degrees and 41 degrees.
Sera from patients with carcinoma of the prostate were screened for the presence of blocking factors by measuring the inhibition of phytohemagglutinin-induced blastogenesis of normal lymphocytes. The blastogenic index obtained in cancer sera is not significantly different from that obtained in sera of patients with benign prostatic hypertrophy (control group). Determination of alpha-2-globulins in the cancer sera by cellulose acetate electrophoresis revealed slightly elevated levels in patients with metastatic disease but it did not correlate with the inhibitory blocking activity of the serum.
Use of DEAE-dextran (a polycation) increases and stabilizes the rosettes formed between sheep red cells and human peripheral blood lymphocytes. Under its influence, reproducible stable rosettes are formed after one hour of incubation in an ice bath instead of the usually required 18 to 24 hours. We have shown that rosettes are specific for T-cells and not due to "co-rosetting" of nonrosette forming cells into the T-cell rosette clusters. Only the cells from normal controls consistently show an increase in rosette formation hence routine use of this 'stabilizer' in clinical immunology is not recommended.
Viable cell suspensions were prepared from 31 nodes diagnosed non-Hodgkin's malignant lymphoma, and from 30 non-malignant nodes. The cells were examined and counted by phase contrast microscopy. The suspensions were characterized by the percentage of large cells and by a colchicine-sensitivity index. The finding of more than 6% large cells or the finding of a sensitivity index of more than 30% was considered a positive test for a malignant lymphoma. According to these criteria there were 2 false positives in 30 reactive nodes and one false negative in 31 malignant nodes. Findings on 3 nodes diagnosed angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy suggested malignancy. The colchicinesensitivity index of blood lymphocytes seemed useful for monitoring lymphoma patients for leukemic involvement.
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The immune competence of 65 patients with prostatic cancer was evaluated by 2 in vivo and 2 in vitro tests to study the contribution of host factors to the progress of the disease. Patients with benign prostatic hypertrophy served as controls. Our results indicate that the delayed skin hypersensitivity response to common microbial recall antigens (streptokinase/streptodornase, purified protein derivative, dermatophytin 0 and dermatophytin) is unaltered in advanced stages of malignancy. The ability to be sensitized by dinitrochlorobenzene declines significantly in patients with metastatic disease. Blastogenic response of peripheral blood lymphocytes to phytohemagglutinin stimulation is not depressed in late stages of malignancy, although in the circulating T cells per cent and absolute values are somewhat lower in patients with metastases. Herein we show that immune competence (measured by the 4 tests) of patients with prostatic carcinoma does not decrease markedly even in the late stages of the disease. Primary sensitization to dinitrochlorobenzene is the only test showing a decline in responsiveness related to the tumor stage.
Peripheral blood lymphoid cells from normal donors, patients with non-malignant diseases, and patients with malignant diseases were evaluated for cytotoxicity against a cultured carcinoma cell line, using a chromium release assay. The natural spontaneous lymphocyte-mediated cytotoxicity was significantly higher in tumor-free groups. The observed decreased response in patients with malignancies correlated with depressed responsiveness to phytohemagglutinin stimulation. Removal of cell subpopulations bearing Fc receptors significantly decreased the cytotoxicity, while depletion of phagocytic mononuclear cells did not. We suggest that natural cytotoxicity is a measure of cell membrane integrity of lymphocytes and should be included as a routine test for evaluation of general immune competence.
The ability of peripheral blood lymphocytes to respond in vitro to phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) was studied before and after radiation therapy in patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinomas of head and neck. Patient lymphocyte response to PHA was depressed before therapy and further declined following therapy. The pre-therapy PHA responsiveness was found to be prognostically significant in regard to patient survival.
Peripheral blood lymphocytes obtained from controls and patients with lung cancer treated by radiotherapy were cultured with phytohemagglutinin (PHA). Patient lymphocyte response to PHA was depressed before therapy and even declined further after theapy. There was no prognostic significance associated with pre-therapy PHA responsiveness in this study.
The present study reports on the relative percents and absolute numbers of peripheral blood total T, active T, and B lymphocytes in pregnant women throughout gestation. These data agree with other studies reporting normal T and B cell populations during pregnancy.
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Non-dividing lymphocytes from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia were more sensitive than normal lymphocytes to reagents as prednisolone, cytarabine, vincristine and colchicine. The maximum difference was obtained when the cells were incubated with colchicine at 37 degrees C for 20 h. The sensitivity was measured by a 'sensitivity index' which was an estimate of the average percentage of lymphocytes killed by 1.0 and 0.1 mug/ml of colchicine. The index was 0-15% for lymphocytes from the blood of 14 normal persons and was 61-98% for 23 of 25 leukaemic patients with absolute lymphocyte counts of 8,000 X 10(9)/l or more. 3 of 4 untreated patients with presumptive diagnoses of early leukaemia had low absolute counts of 3,300 to 7,600 X 10(9) lymphocytes/l and high sensitivity indices of 41 to 83%. Tests on treated patients with lymphocytes counts less than 8,000 X 10(9)/l suggested a correlation of the index with remission and relapse. Hairy cells from 3 patients with hairy cell leukaemia were resistant to colchicine. Sensitivity to colchicine seemed useful at a test for leukaemic lymphocytes and as an aid in the haematologic evaluation of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and malignant lymphoma.